Midwives in South Tyneside and Sunderland have voted in favour of taking industrial action over proposals for arrangements that would see them being ‘on call’ on their days off.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says its recent ballot of impacted members has resulted in a resounding yes to industrial action with 97.18% voting in favour of industrial action consisting of a strike while 98.59% voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike.

Almost three quarters (72%) of affected members took part in the ballot which means the necessary legal requirements to authorise industrial action have been met if the Trust enforces new acute on call arrangements by 1 September, says the RCM

The proposals, which the RCM has described as ‘grossly unfair and unsafe’, would effectively see midwives having their on call working hours extended, running into their much-needed days off. In effect, this would mean midwives being on call for an additional 18 days a year.

The union said it had no choice but to ballot its members on industrial action after trying to reach a reasonable agreement with the Trust following a formal consultation and talks over the past two years.

Commenting, RCM’s Regional Head for the North of England, Lynne Galvin, said:

“Our members have made their voices heard on this issue. The results of the ballot speak for themselves and send a very strong message to the employer about our members’ determination to oppose the imposition of an unfair system of work. Despite the RCM and our workplace representatives putting forward alternative plans to the Trust, we have been unable to reach agreement, leaving us with no other choice but to ballot our members on industrial action. We will be writing to the employer to once again to indicate our willingness to resolve this dispute through negotiation. The RCM recognises the need for maternity services in South Tyneside and Sunderland to have robust escalation plans in place to deal with periods of increased demands on their services, but this can’t be achieved safely by asking our members to cover on call rota arrangements on their rest days.”

The RCM says this is an issue that is not unique to it members in South Tyneside and Sunderland. Consultations on plans for similar acute on call arrangements are currently being rolled out across the north-east of England which is a concern.

These proposals lack any consideration for the work-life balance of its hardworking members, particularly for those who have families, caring responsibilities and those who may need to arrange additional hours childcare at a cost to them says the RCM.

Lynne added:

“Of course, taking industrial action is a last resort, but there is still time for the Trust to come back to us, take a seat at the negotiating table, and find an alternative way forward. No midwife wants to take industrial action, it’s not in their DNA, but we really have been left with no other option at this point. The Trust took so long to consult with our members in any meaningful way about the proposed changes to the acute on call arrangements and they’ve paid no heed to the impact that would have them professionally and personally. That has created so much frustration among our members who feel unheard and undervalued by their employer. There is still time for negotiation to avoid industrial action, but it has to be genuine and meaningful. We are seeing similar proposals being suggested and even consulted on in other maternity service across the Northeast currently and stand ready to support our members.”

The RCM wants to reassure women using services in the locality that if any form of industrial action takes place it will not ask staff to walk out on their normal rostered hours. The only intended action planned at this stage is for its members to not undertake the on-call arrangements. Impacted members will have already received an email with the outcome of the ballot earlier this week and the RCM will continue to keep members updated on any response from the Trust and on plans for next steps.

You can read more about how members impacted by this dispute feel here

ENDS